Electrical medical appliance.



B. R. DAVENPORT.

ELECTRICAL EDIOAL APPLIANCE.

APPLIOATIOI FILED HAY 15, 1908.

Patented Dec 21, 1909.

I SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES A TTUR F.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN RUSH DAVENPORT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOELECTRIC COUCI-I COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ELECTRICAL MEDICAL APPLIANCE.

T all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN RUSH DAVENPORT, a c1t1zen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Electrical Medical Appliances, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide an electr1cal medicalappliance whereby a portion of the body of a person may be subjected toan electric current intermittently, and whereby difi'erent portions ofthe body of a person may be subjected to an electric currentintermittently, and in prescribed order, and whereby the intensity ofthe electric current may be regulated.

To this end the invention consists in the novel construction andcombinations of parts which will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved electricalmedical appliance. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the cover removed. Fig. tis a vertical section, as on the line 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is anelevation of the rotatable disk carrying the brushes. Fig. 6 is anelevation of the commutator. Fig. 7 is a detail, in section, of one ofthe contact devices. Fig. 8 is a detail in section of one of thebrushes. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the electrical connections.

2 designates a support or casing which may be of any shape and size forits intended purpose. In the present embodiment of my invention, thiscasing or support is made in the form of a rectangular box.

Distributed over the top 6 of the casing 2, in any desired manner, is aseries of contact devices 3, each of which comprises a tube 5 extendingthrough the cover 6 and having an inwardly extending bottom flange 8, apin extending through the tube and having an enlarged upper portion 9extending above the top of the .tube, and a reduced lower portion 10extending below the bottom of the tube, and a spring 11 encircling thelower reduced portion 10 and extending; between the flange 8 and thebottom of the upper enlarged portion 9 of the pin. The tops of the tubes5 are flush with the top of the cover 6, and each tube 5 is held inplace by frictional engagement with the cover 5 Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed May 15, 1908.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

Serial No. 433,062.

or by any suitable means. The contact devices 3 are electricallyinsulated from each other by the cover 5 which, in the present instance,is made of wood.

The casing 2 may be made in the form of a couch to receive the body of aperson, and the contact devices 3 distributed over the top of the couchso that many parts of the body of a person upon the couch will con tactwith the devices 3 which yield against the action of the springs toadjust themselves to fit and engage irregularities in the surface of thebody.

Vithin the casing 2 is a commutator 12 which comprises a standard 13 ofinsulating material upon which are supported an inner circular series ofcontact plates 15 and an outer circular series of contact plates 14. Thecontact plates 1-1- and 15 are arranged in spaced relation to each otherand the spaces between the plates of one series are opposite the centralportions of the plates of the other series, as shown. The plates 1 1 and15 correspond in number with the contact devices 3, and each plate ofthe commutator is electrically connected with one of the contactdevicesby a wire 16, one end of which is connected to the commutator plate, andthe other end of which is connected to the lower end of the pin 10 ofone of the contact devices.

Mounted on the standard 13 within the in nor series of plates 14 is acontact ring 17, and mounted on the standard 13 within the ring 17 isanother contact ring 18; Extending centrally through the rings 17 and 18and series of contact plates 14 and 15, is one end of a shaft 19, theother end of which is mounted in a'suitable bearing 20. Secured to theshaft 19 adjacent the standard 13, is a disk 21 of insulating material,which carries two brushes 22 and 23, which are pressed into engagementwith the contact rings 17 and 18 respectively. The disk 21 also carriestwo brushes 24 and 25 which are pressed into engagement with the twoseries of plates 14 and 15 respectively. The brush 22 is connected tothe brush 24 by a wire 26, and the brush 23 is connected to the brush 25by a wire 27.

Secured to the shaft 19 is a worm wheel 28 which is engaged by a worm 29on the power shaft 30 of any suitable motor 31, preferably electrical,whereby, when electric current is supplied to the motor, the worm 29will on 1 gage the worm wheel 28 and rotate the shaft 19 and therewiththe disk 21, and cause the brushes 2 1 and 25 to successively engage theplates 14: and 15 respectively, while the brushe. and 23 remain inconstant engagement with the plates 17 and 18 respectively.

The electric circuit (not shown) for the motor 31 is interrupted by aswitch 32 on the exterior of the casing 2. By closing and opening theswitch 32, the motor 31 may be started and stopped as desired.

Connected to the rings 17 and 18 are the terminal wires of an electriccircuit in which is included an adjustable inductive resistance device33 and two switches 34 and as follows. Leading from the outer contactring 17 and connected to the arm 36 of the switch 3 1, is a wire 37.Leading from the contact piece 38 of the switch 3 1 to the contact piece39 of the switch 35, is a wire 40, which is interrupted by an electricalbattery 41. Leading from the contact piece 12 of the switch 3 1 to oneelement d3 of the circuit making and breaking device of the induc tiondevice 33 is a. wire at. The element 43 of the circuit making andbreaking device is connected to one end of the inner primary coil 1-8,and the other end of the coil 18 is connected to the wire l-O.Surrounding the primary coil 18 is a. secondary coil 4-9, one end ofwhich is connected by a wire 50 to the inner contact ring 18, and theother end of which is connected to the wire etO. Thus it will be seenthat when the switch 35 is closed, current will flow through the circuitto the contact rings 17 and 18, and that when the arm 36 of the switch 31 is in engagement with the contact piece 38 the primary coil 18 will beoperative to produce one degree of current, and when the arm 36 of theswitch is in engagement with the contact piece 412, both the primary andsecondary coils 4E8 and 49 respectively rill be operative to produce agreater degree of current. The intensity of the current may be stillfurther regulated by adjusting the bar 51 which extends through theprimary and secondary coils 18 and 41-9.

The operation is as follows :The switches 32 and are closed, thussetting the motor 31 in operation, and closing the circuit for thecontact devices 3. The operation of the motor causes the brushes 2st and25 to successively engage the plates 1 1 and 15 respectively, and, aspreviously explained, current flows from the electric circuit to thecontact rings 17 and 18, the brushes 22 and 23, the wires 26 and 27, andthe brushes 2e1- and 25 respectively. As the brushes 24 and 25 aresuccessively engaged with and dis engaged from the commutator plates 14;and 15 respectively, electric current is supplied to the contact devices3 in prescribed order; that is to say, as the brushes 2% and 25 sweepover the plates 1e and 15 respectively, two separate contact devices 3are supplied with electric current each time the brushes 2% and 25 areengaged with two adjacent plates 14 and 15 respectively, during therotation of the brushes. Therefore, if the two contact devices suppliedwith current are in contact with the body of a person, the body willreceive the current. Thus it will be seen that as the brushes 211 and 25are constantly making and breaking connection with the plates let and15, different parts of the body of a person engaged with the contactdevices are thus intermittently subjected to the electric current inprescribed order.

I claim 1. The combination of a support provided with a surface adaptedto receive the body of a person, a pair of electrically separatedcontact parts projecting from said surface, an open electric circuit,and automatic means for connecting said pair with said circuit atpredetermined intervals, one part to one terminal of the open circuit,and the other part to the other terminal of the open circuit.

2. The combination of a support provided with a surface adapted toreceive the body of a person, a pair of electrically sepa rated yieldingcontact parts projecting from said surface, an open electric circuit,and automatic means for connecting said pair with said circuit atpredetermined intervals,

one part to one terminal of the open circuit,

and the other part to the other terminal of the open circuit.

3. The combination of a support provided with a surface adapted toreceive the body of a person, a series of pairs of electricallyseparated contact parts projecting from said surface, an open electriccircuit, and automatic means for connecting said pairs with said circuitin prescribed order, one part of a pair to one terminal of the opencircuit, and the other part of a pair to the other terminal of the opencircuit.

1.Tl16 combination of a support provided with a surface adapted toreceive the body of a person, a series of pairs of electricallyseparated, yielding contact parts projecting from said surface, an openelectric circuit, and automatic means for connecting said pairs withsaid circuit in prescribed order, one part of a pair to one terminal ofthe open circuit, and the other part of a pair to the other terminal ofthe open circuit.

5. The combination of a support provided with a surface adapted toreceive the body of a person, a pair of electrically separated contactparts projecting from said surface, an open electric circuit, automaticmeans for connecting said pair with said circuit at predeterminedintervals, one part to one terminal of the open circuit and the otherpart to the other terminal of the open circuit, and means for regulatingthe intensity of the electric current. 6. The combination of a supportprovided with a surface adapted to receive the I body of a person, apair of electrically sepa- 1 rated yielding contact parts projectingfrom said surface, an open electric circuit, automatic means forconnecting said pair with said circuit at predetermined intervals, one ipart to one terminal of the open circuit and the other part to the otherterminal of the open circuit, and means for regulating the intensity ofthe electric circuit.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN RUSH DAVENPORT.

Witnesses:

S. I. HARPER, E. M. \VARE.

